Racketball

According to the English Squash and Racketball organisation Racketball is the fastest growing racket sport in the country because it's fun, easy to start and anyone can play almost instantly. I played squash in my teens and through to my early 40s and discovered racketball after retirement when, significantly over weight and unfit, I was thinking about starting to play squash again. This is when I discovered and started playing with my local U3A racketball group. Racketball is played on a squash court using a shorter racket with a larger head and a bigger, bouncier ball than the one used for squash. It's great for beginners as well as individuals who have played some sort of racket sport before. It's excellent for fitness because everyone can start having rallies straight away and it's a great social sport too.

Compared to squash the lower intensity of racketball and slower pace of movement required by players allows older or less agile players to hold longer rallies without the risk of injury. It is also one of the fastest ways to burn calories in a short space of time and keep fit.

Over the last two years there has been a significant growth in the number of U3A racketball groups and new ones are being started all the time. As racketball advisor I will facilitate networking between groups so that experience and ideas can be shared and, where appropriate, friendly tournaments can be arranged. Advice is available for anyone thinking of starting a group in their area as well as suggestions for organising and running sessions and developing new and existing groups.